The Athletics opened spring training Saturday with an early lesson and a long walk back, falling 11-2 to the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
The A’s actually swung it well enough to hang around, collecting 11 hits. But Chicago’s traffic in the first three innings set the tone, and the White Sox kept adding on until the game turned into a bullpen treadmill.
Perkins gets two outs, then trouble finds him
Right-hander Jack Perkins was two outs from a clean first inning when the White Sox flipped the script. Chase Meidroth doubled to start the frame, then Chicago stacked two walks to load the bases.
Catcher Edgar Quero made it hurt, lining a two-run single to left to put the A’s down 2-0 before they ever batted twice.
One run manufactured, one run smoked
Oakland answered in the second with its cleanest sequence of the day. Brett Harris singled, Junior Perez singled and Harris scored during a stretch that included a wild pitch and a walk to Michael Stefanic.
The A’s second run came off the bat with authority. In the fifth, pinch-hitter Brian Serven ripped an RBI double to right to score Denzel Clarke and cut the deficit to 5-2.
Serven finished 3 for 3 with two doubles and the A’s only RBI. Max Muncy also flashed early juice with a ground-rule double in the first.
Quero keeps cashing in
Chicago did not let the game settle. Brooks Baldwin homered in the second, and Quero struck again in the third with another two-run single that pushed the lead to 5-1.
From there, the White Sox kept finding seams, scoring in six different innings, including a three-run eighth. Quero ended the day with three hits and four RBIs.
Up next
The A’s continue Cactus League play against Cleveland at 12:05 p.m. PT. The broadcast is available on A’s Cast and Talk 650 KSTE.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
